TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Julia Nesheiwat, hired by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August as Florida’s first chief resilience officer, is reportedly going back to the federal government.
Politico reported Thursday that President Donald Trump is making Nesheiwat his homeland security adviser. The governor’s office didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment and confirmation Thursday.
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Nesheiwat, who speaks Arabic, Spanish and Japanese and has top-secret security clearance, was deputy special presidential envoy with the U.S. Department of State when DeSantis, a close ally of Trump, hired her last year.
At the Department of State, Nesheiwat managed interagency teams with Congress and the White House, and she worked with the Department of Homeland Security as a senior representative for all U.S. terrorist network issues, according to a resume posted on the governor’s website.
DeSantis tapped Nesheiwat on Aug. 1 to lead efforts to prepare Florida for the environmental, physical and economic impacts of sea level rise. She brought to Florida “more than 20 years of renewable energy and environmental experience focused on water and natural resources as a senior executive in federal cabinet-level agencies, academia and as a combat veteran,” according to the release from the governor’s office announcing the hire.
Legislation is moving in the House and Senate (HB 1073, SB 7016) to establish a statewide resiliency office under the governor.